Zero Gravity New England Hoops Festival - Event Recap

by Jason Smith | Monday, October 16th, 2017

The Zero Gravity New England Hoops Festival brought out the best talent in New England to compete this weekend. This crop of prospects was among the most talented we’ve seen this fall on the ZG circuit and games were ultra-competitive down in the South Shore.

At the Varsity level we saw Middlesex Magic take the American title over RI Elite - Light to cap off an undefeated weekend at 5-0. The Massasoit Warriors were champs of the National division by outlasting RI Elite as well.

In the 10th grade BABC left no doubt and came away atop the American division led by Quest Harris and Shemar Dennis. Mystic Valley Pride beat out C4 to become National division champions while Mass Attack held on by 2 to take the International bracket.

Boston Bobcats Elite won the American division for 9th grade convincingly over BABC. The National Champion was the MPC Blue Devils, and Brockton Reign Elite captured the International crown.

Standout Players

Keegan Records (Blue Wave/BBN Elite, 2018) Records was back impressing with his blue-collar work in the paint. At 6’8 he has good size and a strong body that lets him get the positioning he wants. He is active even on his own misses and often turns those into three-point plays.

Aaron Cooley (Boston Bobcats, 2020) At 6’4 for a guard/wing it’s Cooley’s consistent 3-point shot that really makes him dangerous on offense. Cooley can handle the ball and is good at going straight to the basket when he drives with very few wasted movements.

Noah Downing (Boston Bobcats, 2020) Can play both on and off the ball offensively while being an extremely good perimeter defender. Downing makes his counterpart work for every step once they catch the ball, on the other side of the floor he showed his versatile skillset scoring the ball at all three levels.

Quest Harris (BABC, 2020) A true extension of the coach on the floor, Harris is a strong athlete who has an all-around skillset. He controlled the pace of his games and got to where he wanted to with little resistance. He showed leadership with his team but also did some coaching up of the younger BABC team from the sidelines while he watched their games.

Alex Stoddard (WrightWay Skills, 2019) Stoddard combines size with shot making ability from a guard spot and his range extends a couple feet beyond the three-point line. While Kamba drives Stoddard finds openings in the defense to get his shot off but he also flashes the ability to be plugged in at point guard when needed.

Shemar Dennis (BABC, 2020) He showed an ability to attack the rim with power that can be rare in his age group. Strength is a big attribute in his favor but also has well rounded skills. Flashed a jumper that defenders have to respect, allowing lanes to open up for him where he showed to be unstoppable when driving downhill.

Ghared Boyce (WrightWay Skills, 2018) Boyce was an assassin from long range this weekend highlighted by his 8 triples in one game on Sunday morning. Boyce was efficient whether it was in transition, spot up, pull up, he was hitting everything. Also showed to be a vocal and engaged defender.

Tyler Kolek (Middlesex Magic, 2019) Kolek was money from deep this weekend, leading the Magic to a varsity title. He also managed the Magic’s half-court sets well while being a leader on the floor. He also has natural instincts as a slasher when he’s off the ball, making him easy to match in different lineup combinations.

Patrick Mogan (Middlesex Magic, 2019) Mogan moves very well for a big both in transition and within his team’s halfcourt sets. He’s a good rim protector and set the tone for his semi-final by rejecting an early dunk attempt. He showed he was able to knock down mid-range shots and has good ball skills, an intriguing package for the junior big man for Xaverian.

Noah Kamba (WrightWay Skills, 2019) Kamba was impressive in his pick-and-roll game this weekend. He’s extremely patient in allowing his big to either pop or roll to the basket and had the pick and pop with Stoddard working as well. He also showed off his blinding speed in the open court and finishing ability.

Tyler Mola (Mass Select, 2018) Mola is great at managing games as a point guard and picking his spots. Rarely does he force anything offensively, his ability to distribute, and score from most places on the court allows him to take what the defense gives him.

Eli Harris (Rise Above Basketball, 2018) Basketball IQ and shooting make Harris a dangerous weapon, He’s a crafty, left-handed player, using angles to find his way to the basket and finish over imposing rim protectors.

Jay-Juan Hayes (RI Elite, 2018) Hayes guided his team all the way to championship game as the point guard. Constantly running pick and rolls he showed some impressive patience in his decision making and was good at changing speeds to shake his defender.